1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to basket lifting apparatus, hinges for attaching a basket to such lifting apparatus, and methods for using such basket lifting apparatus while cooking. In particular, the invention relates to automatic basket lifting apparatus, which are positioned above cooking vats, such that the baskets may be raised and lowered without imparting undue torque to the motors or the lifting structure. Further the invention particularly relates to a method for cooking food products having different cook times in the same apparatus.
2. Description of Related Art
The use of deep-fry fryers for cooking food products is well known in commercial, institutional, and governmental food service operations. The cooking oils utilized in such deep-fat fryers are elevated in temperature to a point at which economical and efficient cooking times are achievable for preparing a variety of fried foods. When cooking chicken parts or other fried foods, in large quantities, in a commercial or institutional kitchen, the foods are frequently simply dropped inside the fryer into the hot oil. There is a heat exchange tube screen in the bottom of the fryer to prevent the food from coming in contact with the hot heat exchangers, which heats the oil. A basket may not be used because some foods, such as chicken parts, are allowed to float freely inside of the fryer to prevent the food from sticking together during cooking.
For example, as many as sixty (60) pieces of chicken may be dropped into the hot fryer oil at one time. This means that approximately twenty (20) to twenty-five (25) pounds of cooked chicken must be taken from the fryer after it is cooked. The current methods of removing the chicken, or other fried food, incorporates a hand held basket-type scoop which is used to scoop the food from the fryer oil.
A disadvantage experienced by the food service industry is exposure of cooks and other employees to the hot oil utilized in deep-fat fryers. The presence of such hot oil requires persons using such fryers to exercise great care in order to insure proper cooking of foods, but the oil, if spilled onto adjacent equipment or floor surfaces and not cleaned quickly, may create unsanitary conditions. The manual scooping of cooked foods from large fryers contributes to such conditions.
In smaller deep-fat fryers, employees may use baskets having elongated handles are used to retain the food being cooked. If not done properly, the use of manually lifted baskets, however, may also involve disadvantages. Even if the quantity of food being cooked is relatively small and, therefore, the weight of the food product not a significant factor, employees may be exposed to the hot cooking substance and the possible spattering of the cooking substance when a fryer basket is lowered or raised into the oil. Also, as with large fryers, foods may inadvertently be overcooked when reliance is placed on manual removal of the cooking a basket from a fryer.
As previously mentioned, a disadvantage experienced by the food services industry, which is directly related to the preparation of deep-fat fried foods, is the difficulty in maintaining a consistency of quality in the prepared product. In order to overcome this problem, controls have previously been designed for monitoring the temperature of the cooking oil and the cooking time for deep-fat fryers depending upon the quantity and type of food which is being cooked. In this respect, it may be desirable to make the cooking process as automated as possible and to reduce the possibility of human error, such as in either removing a product from a cooking oil before it is fully cooked or in leaving the product in the cooking oil to a point at which the product is overcooked. There is great diversity in the cooking time or cycle of products immersed in cooking oil. In those instances in which the product must be manually lowered or manually raised from the cooking oil, not only does the time of immersion vary from the time of introduction of the food product, but the response time of an individual raising the product from the cooking oil also varies greatly.
Some known lid raising and lowering mechanisms require powerful power train means. Moreover, some position the lid actuating mechanism at the sides or about the vat making access to the vat and cleaning operations more difficult. Electro-mechanical or hydraulic systems used for this purpose have suffered from maintenance problems and attendant downtime. As a result, efforts to mechanize the operation of deep fat fryers by means of electromechanical or hydraulic controls for raising and lowering the lids of the vats or raising or lowering baskets have encountered numerous problems.